Picture by Melissa Amstutz
The New Haven Bulldog’s football season has been one of their strongest seasons in a while. They managed to stay undefeated all the way up to their last game. They claimed the title for the Northeast 8 Conference, as well as the Sectional title. However, their game on Friday, November 11th, against the NorthWood Black Panthers would come to be their last.
As the first quarter began, the nervous energy and anxiety was palpable among the players, as well as the fans. Being this far into the playoffs, this game could mean the chance to make it on to state. While the Bulldogs kept their defense strong, they could not ward off the advances of the Panthers entirely. NorthWood managed to bring in two touchdowns. New Haven was not satisfied with this, and pushed back, adding a single touchdown to the board. The second quarter told a different story, as the Bulldogs came back with a vengeance. New Haven pushed past NorthWood and scored two more touchdowns. The Bulldog defense maintained a tough vigor as well, preventing the Panthers from scoring no more than one touchdown. At half time, the score was 22-20, with NorthWood holding a minuscule lead. This game was not over yet, though.
Coming back from the break, it seemed as if the Panthers had a new fire lit underneath of them. During the third quarter, they added two more touchdowns. The NorthWood defense was also turned up to the max, as they prevented the Bulldogs from adding any points to the board. In the fourth quarter, New Haven was not ready to throw in the towel just yet, and added another touchdown, topping it off with a two-point conversion. However, the Panthers piled on two more touchdowns. The final score of the game was 52-28 with NorthWood taking the victory and continuing on in the playoffs.
This loss for the New Haven Bulldogs came as their first and only loss of the season. They played an excellent game and an excellent season. These boys, their school, and their community should be proud of their accomplishments this season.
